On Monday morning--thankfully, after Dev and I had washed up for the day--our well's pump stopped working. The repairman couldn't find the needed (totally fried) part locally, so we did the whole homestead-water routine. Not a big deal, because we often had problems with the farm's well pump.

But when the new part was put in, and the power restored, an odd snapping and clicking sound begins. And the new part is fried. Upon further investigation, we find the entire pump and much of the wiring is bad. As in, "Your pump took a lightning strike recently" bad. The whole pump and much wiring had to be replaced. We had running water again last night. Hooray!

But the extra time it took to make a household function without running water for three days put me behind on other stuff. And I'm still adjusting to the jet lag compounded by DST.

And then there's the weather. I was counting on having another three weeks before our little plot of land would need attention. But the unseasonable warmth--as much as I love it--is prompting everything to start early. I'm still looking for someone locally who will let me rent their tiller. I don't mind turning over a small piece of former lawn by hand, but I'm not using hoe and shovel to turn 500 sq. ft. into plantable soil.

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Dang, I can't imagine going that many days without water. My half-sister has had pump problems before, though, so I sympathize. Hers froze one winter a few years back and she STILL doesn't have hot water. Costs too much to get whatever broke fixed.

Dev and I had practice going water-less when we were on the farm. We shared a well with a neighboring Amish family, and went through a time when the pump seemed to fail for a few days every month. It isn't hard to do without running water, exactly, but it is time consuming.

What's saving my butt is my access to starters. The man who owns the farm Dev and I lived on always starts far more in his greenhouse than he can use. Since he uses heirloom seeds, I'll be able to save my own seeds for next year!